


Adjustments

by CuriosityRedux



Series: Dragon Drabbles Berk [47]
Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Hiccstrid - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-27
Updated: 2018-11-27
Packaged: 2019-08-30 03:41:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16756996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CuriosityRedux/pseuds/CuriosityRedux
Summary: Hiccup tries to make his pregnant wife happy.





	Adjustments

**Adjustments**

**-**

 “I have a surprise.”

Astrid jumped and turned around at the sound of her husband’s voice behind her. “Me too. Your fat wife is too fat to fit in her clothes.” Even while sucking in her growing stomach, she couldn’t comfortably button her favorite skirt.

He stared at her for a moment, long enough to make her want to pull her too-tight shirt over her exposed belly, and then gave her a sympathetic half-smile. He was still wearing his apron from the forge— he hadn’t come home last night, and she doubted he’d slept either— and he reached into one of the large pockets as he approached her.

“Turn around,” he quietly ordered, and she complied with an exasperated sigh.

Furrowing her brow as he shifted her skirt backwards, she listened to the sound of tearing fabric and the feeling of Hiccup’s fingers against the small of her back. For a moment, she feared he was ripping her skirt, but then she felt him inserting a piece of cool leather into the thick waistband. When she struggled to look over her shoulder, she could just barely watch him hooking a hole in the leather around the button and fitting the other end through the clasp. He inserted a stud there and pulled his pliers from his apron, giving it a squeeze.

“There,” he mumbled, leaning back to observe his handiwork. “Not too bad. I can fix that gap later.”

She turned back around and stuck her thumbs between the waistband and her skin. It wasn’t much, but his quick fix-it had bought her another month or so without a maternity tunic. Beaming, she pulled him up and gave him a kiss. “Thank you.”

He grinned. “Just wait until you see the  _real_  surprise.”

Bemused, she finished dressing and allowed him to tug her outside, his excitement palpable. His scruff was rough-looking, the circles under his eyes dark, but he smiled like he’d had a full night’s rest. “Close your eyes,” he told her as they descended the front steps of their house, and she once again obeyed his gentle command.

Next to her ear, he gave a sharp whistle that made her jump, but then she felt a cool breeze and heard the familiar whoosh of dragon wings. A moment later, she identified the clicking sound of Stormfly’s teeth preening her poisonous tail darts.

Astrid laughed in delighted confusion and reached out a blind hand. “Can I open my eyes?”

“Yes.” She felt his comforting grip on her elbow disappear as he stepped back, and she peeked out at the surprise that had him so worked up. “Ta-da!”

The saddle that was strapped to her Nadder had to be at least twice the size of her previous one. It was a tangle of straps and snaps and seemed to sit oddly on the dragon’s back, though Stormfly didn’t seem to notice the change a bit. Furrowing her eyebrows, Astrid took a step forward and ran her fingers across what looked like two limp flaps hanging from either side. Her head tilted. “It’s… different?”

The corner of Hiccup’s mouth turned upwards in a crooked grin, though the way he rubbed the back of his neck revealed a sudden surge of self consciousness. “It’s a pregnancy saddle,” he explained with a shrug. “I mean, I really wish you wouldn’t fly while—”

“I’m not staying grounded,” she interrupted. That fight never seemed to end with them.

“Which is why I designed this,” he continued, taking a step forward and unsnapping a foothold from the side of the saddle. “Here. Climb on. I want to show you how it works.”

Astrid apprehensively allowed her husband to help her up and over the saddle, though she immediately noticed a flaw. “Babe? There’s no stirrup on this side,” she informed him, wondering if he was too used to designing things for right legs only. The seat of the saddle was already an enormous difference— it was flatter and better cushioned, but her legs dangled awkwardly at Stormfly’s sides.

“Mhm.” He pulled her foot out of the foothold and snapped it back into place. Then he reached  _under_ the side of the saddle, folding out what looked like the leather version of a halved, hollowed-out log. “Your shin will go here,” he muttered as he manipulated her leg into the notch. It was padded, but it felt awkward having her leg bent almost parallel to the ground. “Then we slip your knee in here.” He reached for the strange flap she’d noticed, revealing an opening down the middle and sliding it over her knee. When he was finished, he jogged around the other side and did the same to her right leg. Finally, he took a hands-breadth thick leather strap and wrapped it behind her, hooking it to the front of the saddle so that the thickest part of the belt nestled comfortably against the curve of her lower back.

Astrid’s jaw had fallen open a little bit as he fit her into the contraption. The way he’d constructed the saddle, her legs were secured just high enough that she could sit back and be resting against the thick strap,  _or_  she could put her weight on her knees and be somewhat suspended above the firm leather seat, without too much strain on her legs. It was infinitely more comfortable than her regular saddle, and the belt secured her in place.“Hiccup, this is…”

“It gave me some trouble,” he admitted, his confidence returning as he watched her expression melting into awe. “I had to consult with Gothi about the— er— anatomy. But I finally figured out that instead of modifying the seat, I had to find a safer place to transfer the point of impact: your knees. It’ll disperse your weight and shift your center of gravity just a little.” Hiccup reached up and brushed his fingertips across her swollen belly. “It should take the pressure off your cervix and leave you room to grow.”

She shook her head in disbelief, absently stroking her dragon’s neck. “I can’t believe you were up all night working on this.”

“I’m surprisingly efficient with the right motivator.” He stepped back and shoved his hands in the pockets of his apron. “You gonna test it out for me?”

Her smile grew until she couldn’t contain it, laughing and giving Stormfly a firm pat. The Nadder stood at attention. “I’ll be back in a few,” she told him, biting her bottom lip. “Then I’m going to show you what else I can do on my knees.”

She was still relishing the look on her husband’s face long after she reached the clouds.


End file.
